The First Day Of Christmas
by Claireabellalou
Summary: Hermione is full of Christmas cheer and drags Theo along to join in the festivities much to his dismay. Rated M for language.


They said Christmas was the most magical time of year and Hermione Granger would never be one to disagree. She lived for Christmas time. To see the first snow fall, the trees and lights, the festive cheer that people were always so full of. Christmas had always been such a big affair at home growing up, this wasn't going to change now.

After the war had ended her parents had been unretrievable, the memory charm she had put on them was placed just a little too far in the wrong part of the brain and now they would never recognise her voice again or smile when they saw her face. _At least they were still alive,_ Hermione had to tell herself over and over again.

Hermione had gone back to school after the war had ended and Hogwarts opened back up for business, they all had. Well, those who had survived anyway. It seemed to be an unwritten rule that the entire year group would return and so they did. If one year of belated childhood mischief was all they could get then it was better than nothing. The alternative was to find work and places to live as soon as the war was over and honestly, fully grown adults or not they still felt like children for the most part.

Hermione had been the one to receive the head girl badge of course, nothing that nobody hadn't already bet every spare galleon on. The head boy badge had gone to Theodore Nott and the pair were set to share quarters.

School had started off pretty well but the pair seemed to rub one another the wrong way far more often than necessary. Everyone else were betting it was done on purpose. Hermione would scowl at them and curse them up and down and Theo would just stare intently at the witch.

Everyone else had been right of course, they had finally gotten their acts together at their graduation party when Firewhiskey was in abundance and minds inebriated. They woke up the next morning in the same bed and hadn't looked back since.

Hermione had moved in with Harry right out of school, Grimmauld Place hadn't changed much but they and their friends tried to give the ancient house a makeover in the short burst of time Hermione lived there for. Theo was almost begging her to move in with him when he realised after spending the last year living with the witch he was lost without her. It had only been three months by that point but Hermione reasoned it wouldn't be any different than being in school and besides, she was hardly coming home to sleep by that point.

And now here they were three months down the line on December 13th and Hermione was actually bouncing on her toes at seven in the morning, a flask of hot chocolate in one hand and wrapped up head to toe.

"Remind me love, why did you have me take today off only to wake me up at an ungodly hour?" Theo groaned as he pulled his coat from the stand. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Hermione's feet. Her usual sturdy brown winter boots that she _loved_ were nowhere in sight and instead there seemed to be some sort of bright yellow rubber things that stopped just below her knees. That certainly woke him up. "What the fuck are you wearing? Are you planning on getting lost today or something?" He asked honestly. He had never seen a more ugly pair of shoes in his life.

Hermione levelled a stare at her boyfriend,"they're my wellie boots," she replied indignantly.

"They're hideous Hermione,"

"I'm glad you like them so much because I bought you a matching pair and if we're going to pick out a Christmas tree today - which we are," she said as she stared just a fraction harder "-then you're going to need wellie boots." Hermione pointed out.

"Why on earth do we need a tree?" Theo asked, brows knit in confusion.

"Because it's Christmas!" Hermione almost shrieked.

"There's a tree in the loft," Theo countered back.

Hermione gaped at him, "what?" She asked. "You're seriously suggesting we use a decades old artificial tree? A tree with bare branches, no pine cones, a tree without - Godric-fucking-Gryffindor what have I gotten myself into? We're getting a real tree, get your boots on.

That was be the moment Theo would remember as Hermione near hyperventilating. The idea of a old artificial tree not a welcome one in her eyes.

He really wasn't happy to be wearing rubber on his feet and hoped to Merlin he didn't see anyone he knew because he knew he wouldn't live this down but at least his were not a sunflower yellow and more of a hunters green, not that it mattered of course since they were rubber and _squeaked_ when he walked. If he didn't die before the day was over it would be a Christmas miracle.

They must have trawled through five tree stores looking for 'the one' when Theo was starting to lose his patience. The hot chocolate had long gone and he was hungry now. All the trees were too small, too bare, too thin. He had no idea what she was looking for but no matter what he suggested the answer was no. Two more farms they went to before they found what they were looking for. A twelve foot fucking monstrosity. She couldn't be serious? Oh but she was. She happily paid up the sum asked and a little extra on top for delivery that day and Theo didn't want to be the one to piss all over her Christmas cornflakes but the Christmas nonsense was getting ridiculous now. And he was still wearing rubber fucking boots. And she had been bloody right about them because half of his legs were covered in mud but he would _never_ admit it to her.

He had hoped they might be done for the day after that, get home early enough to burn the mud covered rubber _things_ that she called shoes and soak in a bath together and try to forget about his painful distress caused which was the least she could do but oh no, today wasn't over by far.

Hermione decided they needed a new ornament set. A what? Couldn't they just get some Cornish Pixies and a few sticking charms or something? But no, they were doing this the muggle way apparently. Still wearing their rubber boots.

Hermione took them into muggle London and they stopped at a store where she told him to pick ten Christmas ornaments for the tree. And she ordered him to really pick them and not just pluck up the first things he saw. Theo rolled his eyes and got to work, he even matched his to the colour scheme of the ones in her basket. He felt proud of himself for that. Hermione added a few extra things to their baskets, coloured lights, ribbon and an angel that actually looked rather frightening but Theo decided he had to let slide for the sake of his own life. Hermione declared they needed a couple more departments before leaving and then filled them up with enough crafting supplies that would keep a school going for a month. After that she headed for the clothing section which was odd in itself since she wouldn't normally shop in places like this.

Theo thought he had been the dutiful boyfriend, he had only complained about the tree and the boots a little but when Hermione actually purchased them each Christmas jumpers he seriously thought she had lost the plot. She must have if she thought she was getting him to wear that. It had fucking _lights_ on it for Merlin's sake. He was itching under his expensive cashmere just thinking about it.

Laden with bags and knowing the elves would surely have had their hands full trying to ready the tree the pair stopped for a Chinese takeaway on the way home before apparating into the Manor.

If Theo thought he was now free to get that bath he had dreaming about for the past five hours then he was sorely mistaken though he did get to finally take off his boots only to replace them with hideous slippers that had actual reindeer heads on top. He couldn't wait for Christmas to be over with.

They ate their food and drank copious amounts of mulled wine as Hermione chatted animatedly about Christmas. He could tell it was her favourite time of year and so decided to try a little bit harder.

"What traditions did your family have?" she asked excitedly.

Theo looked at the witch then down to his drink, which he had to admit was a welcome relief after walking in the cold all day. "Try not to get cursed before breakfast," he answered honestly.

Hermione reached across the space that divided them and took his hand in hers. "I'm going to make this your best Christmas yet." she promised.

Once they were done with their food Hermione decided they just had to put their jumpers on much to Theo's chagrin, and with the tree up thanks to the elves they finally got to work wrapping the lights around it. Since Hermione had saw fit to purchase a twelve foot tree they had needed a ladder to get to the top half. With the lights finally in place they began to add their decorations, though even with the bows and pinecones the tree was looking slightly bare.

"Hermione?" Theo called as he placed the last of his ornaments on a branch.

"The tree looks...empty," he said as he stared up at their handiwork.

"I know," Hermione replied with a smile.

It was clear Theo didn't understand.

"As per tradition you start off with ten baubles, five each. And then every year each member of the house adds one of their choosing. That's how you grow your set. We got more because the tree is bigger."

"Oh," Theo replied as he looked up, "that makes sense." Because for the first time today he could see her logic. He picked up the angel and didn't even grimace at its sadistic smile, "here you go, time to light it up" He said as he passed the tree topper to the witch.

"No, I want to watch you do it," Hermione insisted.

Theo thought she just didn't want to get up the old ladders again though he couldn't blame her but she watched intently as he placed the terrifying thing on the top of their tree. "Lights?" He asked as he climbed back down, ready to push the plug in. From under the tree he saw Hermione nod at him that yes, he should light up the tree and he watched her face as he pushed the plug and he saw the wonderment and pure joy she felt. He couldn't help but get to his feet and hold her in his arms.

Hermione held onto Theo tightly as they swayed near the tree. The room was a mess, there were boxes and wrappers everywhere and it looked like Christmas had literally thrown up all over them but the tree was magnificent and it was all Hermione's doing. Theo had never seen such a pretty display in his house before.

"What's the paper and card for?" He almost whispered in her ear as he spotted the bag on the ground.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Children, umm traditionally children would make their own decorations and cards and things and you would hang them or put them on the tree, whatever really. I was going to have a go but maybe another day." She felt him pull her closer.

"You ever think about having children?" He asked.

Hermione nodded slowly, "I have done. Being an only child with no family kind of forces you to think about these things."

"I know what you mean," Theo replied, because he did know. He was in the same boat afterall.

"So what would you like? If you could choose?" His words were a gentle caress across her ear and she shivered as his breath travelled down her neck.

Hermione struggled to get her words out, "Three, maybe four. More than two at least. Close in age. I don't want my children to end up alone if I died or something happened to me. What about you?"

Theo hadn't been lying when he said he had thought about having children because he had but her talk of dying had thrown him, he gripped her tighter, pulled her closer and breathed in her scent. "As long as it's more than one," he admitted. That's who they were, two lonely people fighting their recent orphanage.

"More than one," she repeated.

Theo smirked and twirled the witch in his arms, "I'll tell you what love, I'll let you have as many as you want under one condition." He smiled at the witch as he watched her closely.

"And what's that?" Hermione laughed back.

"Marry me first?" Theo asked.

Hermione wasn't sure she heard him right. She stopped in her tracks as she replayed the conversation over again and then when she looked back to him he was down on one knee with a box in his hand and a ring sat there with the most beautiful blue stone she had ever seen. "Oh. My. God." She clasped her hands to her mouth and tears threatened to escape as she stared at him.

"Well?" He asked, still waiting for an answer.

"Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you you idiot!" She screamed at him.

She watched him stand then, his face relaxing as he must have worried about her answer and before she knew it he had her swept up in his arms and his lips were on hers. "I love you" he murmured over and over again.

I can't believe you proposed wearing a Christmas jumper and reindeer slippers," Hermione laughed as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"If you tell anyone the deals off," he quipped back but they were both laughing and kissing one another and before he knew it he had her in the bath just as he had envisioned all day. Hot and naked, bubbles strategically placed and a bottle of champagne to share while her feet rubbed up his thigh, a smile a mile wide on her lips and a beautiful sapphire sparkling at him.

He supposed Christmas wasn't so bad afterall.


End file.
